Adaptive Garments on the Unit: A Guide for Nurses and Child Life Staff
This guide is for nurses, child life specialists, and family support staff who care for children with feeding tubes and central lines. It explains how PediaTech garments are built, where each access point sits, and how the garments fit alongside the policies and practices your unit already follows.
We are engineers, not clinicians. Everything below describes the garments. Your facility's policies and your clinical judgment always come first.
What these garments are, and what they are not
TubeWear™ and LineWear™ are textile garments. They are not medical devices, and they are designed to make access and dressing easier, not to diagnose, treat, or prevent anything. Four limits are worth knowing before a garment goes on a patient:
- The pouch lining is not a barrier. The PediaPouch™ is lined with moisture-resistant fabric that wipes out instead of soaking through. It is a fabric property, not a barrier system, and it does not replace a dressing.
- RoutePoints™ do not secure a line. They are single snaps at the shoulder and lower back that guide tubing loosely away from the front of the body. Continue to secure lines according to your facility's protocols.
- Metal-free is not imaging clearance. Every garment uses resin snaps, with no metal fasteners. Imaging staff still decide what a patient may wear and may ask for any garment to be removed.
- The garments are not sterile. Follow your facility's infection-prevention policies for patient clothing.
Matching the garment to the patient
Choose the system by where the tube or line leaves the body, then choose the garment by age and mobility.
| Patient has | System | Where the access sits |
|---|---|---|
| G-tube, J-tube, or GJ-tube | TubeWear™ | Abdomen, over the tube site |
| Tunneled central line exiting at the chest (for example, Broviac® or Hickman®) | LineWear™ | Chest, at the exit site |
| PICC, peripheral IV, or frequent blood draws | Either system | Both sleeves, along the inner bend |
| Garment | Sizes | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Gown | Newborn–12M | Newborns, recent placements, NICU and PICU stays, long admissions. Open bottom for diaper changes. |
| Bodysuit | 6M–5T | Babies and toddlers who roll, crawl, and move. Stays in place. |
If a patient is between sizes or wears a dressing, size up. Full charts are in the Sizing Guide.
Access points at a glance
| Task | Where to open |
|---|---|
| Feeds, flushes, venting, tube site checks | TubeWear snap opening and PediaPouch flap at the abdomen |
| Central line dressing changes and site checks | LineWear snap flaps at the chest |
| Peripheral IV, PICC, blood draw, pulse oximetry | Dual Arm Access™ along the inner bend of either sleeve |
| Diaper changes | Gown: open bottom, no need to undo the garment |
| Full change of clothes | Unfasten the sides and lay the garment open flat |
Because both sleeves open, an arm line on either side can be reached without turning the patient to the other arm.
Dressing a patient without lifting
Every garment opens completely flat. The sequence is the same for all four:
- Lay the garment open on a flat surface.
- Place the patient on top of it, following your unit's usual practice for managing lines and tubes during any repositioning.
- Bring the sides up and fasten the snaps. Nothing passes over the head, and arms are not threaded through sleeves.
- Guide tubing or lumens into the PediaPouch and, if helpful, loosely through the RoutePoints.
The goal of the design is a dressing task that one person can do.
Laundering
The garments are machine washable, including in commercial washers, and are made to be laundered often. The cotton is pre-shrunk, so sizing holds, and the snaps are resin, so there is nothing to catch or corrode in the wash. For home laundering we recommend washing warm, tumbling dry low, and skipping bleach and fabric softener. Follow your facility's process for soiled patient clothing.
Talking with families
Families often ask where to find clothing like this after discharge. A few facts that help:
- No prescription, prior authorization, or purchase order is needed. Families can buy directly at pediatechapparel.com.
- Each garment is $59, and HSA or FSA payment may be available for eligible customers after a clinician review through our partner, Truemed.
- Most families order two, so one is always clean.
- The Sizing Guide and our team (hello@pediatechapparel.com, 513-549-2411) can help with fit.
Evaluating PediaTech on your unit
We provide evaluation samples to nursing, child life, and family support teams, with no obligation to purchase. Samples come with a short evaluation form covering dressing, access, containment, laundering, and comfort, and asking whether you are willing to be quoted. Request evaluation samples.
Several features on these garments exist because a nurse or caregiver told us what was missing. If something would make the garment easier to use on your unit, we want to hear it.
Related reading
- How It Works: each feature in detail, with photos
- NICU-Friendly Clothing: What to Look For
- Clothes for Kids with Central Lines
- How to Dress a Baby with a G-Tube
Broviac® and Hickman® are registered trademarks of their respective owners. PediaTech Apparel™ is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.